World-class Mesick taxidermist shares secrets to living art – cadillacnews.com

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Updated: September 4, 2026 @ 9:05 pm
Mesick Taxidermist Jonathan Wright poses next to a mount with several pheasants at Thundering Aspens Sportsmen Club on June 30, 2026.
Taxidermist Jonathan Wright in his Mesick workshop on June 30, 2026.
Taxidermist Jonathan Wright shows how a moose mount pieces together at his Mesick workshop on June 30, 2026.
This pheasant rooster mount won Jonathan Wright “best in world” at an international taxidermy show.
Mesick taxidermist Jonathan Wright’s awards hang in his workshop on June 30, 2026.
Mesick taxidermist Jonathan Wright said he usually finds inspiration in unconventional scenes, like this bear clawing a wasp nest.

Mesick Taxidermist Jonathan Wright poses next to a mount with several pheasants at Thundering Aspens Sportsmen Club on June 30, 2026.
Taxidermist Jonathan Wright in his Mesick workshop on June 30, 2026.
Taxidermist Jonathan Wright shows how a moose mount pieces together at his Mesick workshop on June 30, 2026.
This pheasant rooster mount won Jonathan Wright “best in world” at an international taxidermy show.
Mesick taxidermist Jonathan Wright’s awards hang in his workshop on June 30, 2026.
Mesick taxidermist Jonathan Wright said he usually finds inspiration in unconventional scenes, like this bear clawing a wasp nest.
MESICK — “Art imitates life” is a literal goal for taxidermist Jonathan Wright.
The Mesick wildlife artist holds dozens of awards for scenes of birds, stags, bears and more. He won “best in show” at a world competition for a rooster pheasant mount.
Wright says each of his pieces are designed to capture a single moment in nature and tell a story. Beyond game species, he has brought several raptors to life from roadkill, including a snowy owl.
His work fills the Thundering Aspens Sportsmen Club lodge, co-founded by his father. In 2005, he began his craft in the lodge, renting a cramped 150-square foot room to work in.
Wright was guided by traditional Mesick taxidermist Ron Smith — the “stereotypical taxidermist,” Wright said, with a big beard and checkered flannel.
Smith taught Wright the patience and persistence needed for some work, like when flesh won’t easily separate from fat and muscle.
Eventually, Wright opened a larger facility at his current home, less than a mile northwest of the lodge. The workshop gives him the space to separate the skinning, fleshing, mounting and painting, although it still gets plenty busy.
Today, Wright handles everything from birds and deer to bison, wolves and African game. Soon, he will reanimate a pair of arctic wolves. Several ongoing projects hang from the workshop walls.
Wright belongs to the Michigan Taxidermists Association and frequently serves as a judge at taxidermy competitions, including shows in Canada.
Those events are “the Olympics” of taxidermy, he said.
“You’re putting everything that you’ve learned through the years into one piece because it’s going to be judged by somebody that really knows their stuff,” he said. “It not only visually needs to check out, they’re reaching in under the feathers and making sure that everything’s anatomically correct.”
An award-winning composition needs to work together beyond just the animal, Wright said, including the scene.
Taxidermy scenes are like the stage of a concert, he said in another analogy. The decorated animal base is key to putting viewers in the moment and making the animals feel alive.
“When you go to a concert, you’ve got the stage all set up, everybody’s excited,” he said. “You get goosebumps because you’re right there.”
Posing the animals is another critical detail to draw in viewers, Wright said. Seeing a bear on its hind legs, for example, often isn’t as moving if the bear’s body language isn’t matching the moment.
“It’s an art, a reflection of an emotion, so you should feel something when you look at it,” he said.
Wright explained how he brought a roaring stag to life with beads of dried adhesive resembling spit coming from its mouth. Odd shapes and asymmetry can help add to the natural feel.
“When I compete at the world show and there’s 26 judges on the floor who’ve seen everything, They kind of get bored with it,” he said, “You want to stand out and do something a little bit different.”
One strategy that Wright suggests to many taxidermists is to mirror their pieces off a reference. At Thundering Aspens, Wright would study the pheasants he helped raise. On hunts, he has taken slow-motion videos of the birds in different moments.
Wright’s skills have earned him several speaking opportunities at taxidermy shows, both national and international.
He is putting family first for the moment, he said, but he eventually plans to get in front of more crowds to share his advice.
Daniel Schoenherr’s position is funded through Report for America and local fund-raising. To help continue local reporting please consider contributing to the Cadillac Area Community Foundation’s Local Journalism Fund at www.justgiving.com/cadillacareacommunityfoundation.

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